Shelf system

ABSTRACT

A shelf system has supporting rods ( 2 ) and shelf boards ( 3 ) provided with fastening devices for fastening them to the supporting rods ( 2 ) at various heights. The supporting rods are usually arranged in the comer areas of the rectangular shelf boards. Bores are pierced at certain heights in the supporting rods into which fastening elements such as supporting pegs can be plugged to hold the shelf boards at the corresponding height. The object of the invention is a novel shelf system which allows the height of the shelf boards to be continuously adjusted and in which the position of the shelf boards can be adjusted within a certain angular range. For that purpose, the supporting rods ( 2 ) are cylindrical and each shelf board ( 3 ) has in the middle of each of its face edges ( 4 ) a fastening device which consists of a pair of parallel clamping pins ( 5 ) which project beyond the respective face edge ( 4 ) and which are interconnected by a clamping screw ( 6 ) which pulls together both clamping pins ( 5 ), a supporting rod ( 2 ) being clamped between each pair of clamping pins.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a shelf system with support rods and shelfboards which include fastening devices for fastening to the support rodsat different heights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, the support rods are combined to form support frames whichare arranged in the right and left corner regions of the rectangularshelf boards. Holes are arranged at various heights on the support rods.Fastening elements, such as support pins, which hold the shelf boards atthe different heights can be inserted into these holes.

The French Patent No. 480 614 describes a shelf system with shelf boardsthat do not include fastening devices. Instead, the shelf boards areplaced on a transversely extending traverses which include at theirrespective ends a pair of curved gripping jaws that can be pressedtogether with screws. To support one shelf board, two traverses have tobe placed between each pair of support rods. Consequently, each shelfboard is supported by four rods extending in the respective cornerregions of the shelf board. The shelf board is quite difficult toinstall since for each board two traverses have to be secured to twosupport rods with two clamps each and adjusted in height.

The French Patent No. 1 524 363 describes a shelf system wherein eachshelf board has on each of its four corners, i.e., in the end regions ofthe respective opposite end faces, a fastening device with a pair ofcurved gripping jaws that can be pressed together with screws. Thisreference essentially discloses the preamble of claim 1. However,attaching the board is still complicated since four pairs of clampingsurfaces have to be pushed onto four support rods and clamped on thesesupport rods.

It is an object of the invention to provide a novel shelf system whereinthe height of the shelf boards can be continuously adjusted and whereinthe position of the shelf boards of adjacent shelf sections can beadjusted within a predetermined angular range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object is solved by the invention in that the support rods have theform of cylinders and that each shelf board includes a fastening devicearranged in the center of the two end faces of the shelf board. Thefastening device consists of a pair of parallel clamping rods whichproject from the end face. The clamping rods are connected to each otherby a clamping screw which pulls the two clamping rods toward each other,wherein one support rod is clamped between each pair of clamping rods.

With this type of clamping system which does not include bores andsupport pins for attaching the shelf boards, the shelf boards can beclamped to the support rods at any height. Because the cylindricalsupport rods have a round cross-section, the shelf boards can radiallyextend from the support rods in any direction and be clamped to thesupport rods in any position.

With the shelf system of the invention, the shelves can be installed inmany ways. For example, a central support rod can be provided from whichseveral (for example, three or five) shelf sections extend radiallyoutwardly, forming a star. Each shelf section is associated with anouter support rod to which the outside end faces of the shelf boards areclamped. It is also possible to provide long shelf units consisting ofseveral consecutive sections, wherein the center axes of the shelfboards of consecutive shelf sections extend along an arbitrary polygonalpath. This design of a shelf unit can be readily adapt to fit, forexample, a curved building wall.

The inside surfaces of the clamping rods which contact the cylindricalsupport rod, should be as straight as possible, so that they can beeasily pushed over the circumference of the support rod. In this way, ashelf board can be attached to or removed from an installed shelf at anyposition. This is more difficult when the gripping jaws are curved. Itmay be necessary to first release one clamping rod completely from theshelf board and to then reattach this clamping rod after the support rodhas been inserted into the curved surface of the other clamping rod.Alternatively, the shelf board may be inserted from above by pushing thesupport rod into the opposing curved surfaces of the two clamping rods.Consequently, clamping rods with straight inside surfaces provide thesimplest installation for the shelf board. The surface of the clampingrods which is oriented outwardly from the support rods, can have anyshape.

Preferably, the clamping rods located on opposite end faces of the shelfboards are offset from each other by a distance corresponding to theheight of the clamping rods. For example, the clamping rods disposed onthe right end face of the shelf boards may be inserted in the upper halfof the shelf board, whereas the clamping rods disposed on the left endface may be inserted in the lower half. Shelf boards of adjacentlypositioned shelf sections can thereby be arranged in the same plane. Theclamping devices attached to the same support rod are offset from eachother so as not to interfere with each other.

The clamping screw is advantageously arranged between the end faces ofthe shelf boards and the support rods. Positioning the clamping screw onthe side of the support rods opposite from the end faces may make itdifficult to arrange the shelf boards side-by-side in the same plane. Inorder to arrange the shelf boards side-by-side and at the same height,the free ends of the clamping rods projecting beyond the clamping screwsare preferably shorter in length than the diameter of the support rods.The free ends then do not extend beyond the support rods and do not makecontact with the adjacent shelf board. The free ends have to be at leastas long as the radius of the support rods, so that the clamping rods canclamp the support rod along two outer surface lines of the support rod.

The clamping process is facilitated by providing one of the clampingrods of a clamping rod pair with a through-bore for the clamping screwand the other clamping rod with a threaded bore. The screw head of theclamping screw abuts the first clamping rod on the other side of thethrough-bore and pulls the first clamping rod in the direction of thesecond clamping rod when the clamping screw is screwed in the threadedbore.

If the material of the shelf boards is sufficiently strong, eachclamping rod may be secured with only one fastening screw. The fasteningscrew is preferably arranged in the center of the clamping rod sectionwhich contacts the shelf board, so that forces and torques acting on theconnection between the shelf board and the clamping rod can be reliablytransmitted. If a fastening screw were located in an end region of theclamping rod, the thread tends to strip.

The clamping rod can be easily and functionally attached by arranging inthe shelf board a through-bore and in the clamping rod a threaded boreinto which the fastening screw can be inserted.

Although an arrangement where the shelf boards are clamped in the centerwith two clamping rods located in the center section of the shelf boardedges, does not appear to be very stable, it has been found in practicethat the shelf boards can absorb large forces. The support rod is formedof a steel tube with an outer diameter of 40 mm and the clamping rodsare formed of a stainless steel profile having a square cross-sectionwith lateral sides having a length of 10 mm. The square profiles areembedded in the shelf boards over a length of 60 mm and the free ends ofthe steel rods project approximately 45 mm from the plane of the shelfboard. The shelf boards of this shelf system can easily carry a weightof 80 kg.

The support rods may be attached in a conventional manner (e.g.,fastened with screws to a wall, a floor or the ceiling of a room).Alternatively, an advantageous support system is proposed that is undertension and can be easily installed and modified. For this purpose, thesupport rod is formed as a threaded spindle and includes a tubularjacket with an interior thread and at least one spindle rod which isscrewed into the interior thread of the tubular jacket. Respectivesupport plates are arranged on the free end of the spindle rod and onthe opposite free end of the support rod, respectively. The supportplates can be biased against the floor and the ceiling of a room. Thesesupport rods are formed as expanded spindles and can be installed at thedifferent locations of the room independent of the ceiling height. Theshelf system can be adapted to different room heights by using tubularjackets of different length.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, all elements of the supportrods are made of stainless steel. The interior thread is formed by athreaded bushing that is inserted into the tubular jacket. The outercircumference of the threaded bushing includes a radial shoulder whichcontacts the annual end face of the tubular jacket. A small radialthreaded bore may be disposed in the wall of the threaded bushing. A setscrew may be screwed into the threaded bore to lock the spindle rod,which is screwed into the threaded bushing, in place.

The end of the spindle rod positioned inside the tubular jacket may beprovided with a guide disk which is guided inside the tubular jacketessentially without play. The spindle rod is thereby securely held inplace inside the tubular jacket in the radial direction—both in theregion of the interior thread and in the region of the guide disk—andcan reliably absorb transverse forces or torques.

The support plates of the support rods may be pivotally attached to theends of the support rods by way of ball and socket joints. This smoothesany unevenness in the ceiling and the floor so that the support rods canbe positioned in a true vertical direction.

Additional advantages of the invention are described hereinafter withreference to the drawings. The drawings show in:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of a shelf system according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 a top view of a shelf board of the shelf system of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 a cross sectional view of the shelf board of FIG. 2 taken alongthe line III—III, and

FIG. 4 a sectional view of two support rods of the shelf systemaccording to the invention with an interposed shelf board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The shelf system illustrated in FIG. 1 includes four shelf sections 1,with each side of the shelf sections 1 bounded by a respective supportrod 2. Two shelf sections 1 that are arranged side-by-side share acommon support rod 2. Each shelf section in the illustrated shelf systemincludes five shelf boards 3.

The fastening devices which include a pair of parallel clamping rods 5projecting from the end face, are arranged in the center of the lateralend faces 4. The heads of the clamping screws 6 which clamp the supportrods 2 between each clamping pair, contact the outside of the frontclamping rods 5.

A major longitudinal portion of the support rods 2 consists of a tubularjacket 7. Each end of the tubular jacket 7 is provided with an interiorthread into which a respective spindle rod 8 is screwed. The upper andlower spindle rods are provided with a left-handed thread and with aright-handed thread, respectively, so that the length of the support rod2 increases when the tubular jacket 7 is turned in one direction, anddecreases when the jacket 7 is turned in the other direction. Supportplates 9 are secured to the ends of the two spindle rods 8—and therebyalso to both ends of the support rod 2—to support the support rodagainst the floor and the ceiling of a room.

In another embodiment of the support rod 2 described below, only one endof the tubular jacket 7 is provided with a thread; a spindle rod 8screwed into that thread.

The shelf board 3 and the clamping system attached to the shelf board 3is more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The clamping rods 5 areinserted into milled grooves which are disposed in the region of the endfaces 3 of the shelf board 3 and extend from the end faces in thelongitudinal direction. On the right-hand side of FIGS. 2 and 3, themilled grooves are provided in the top surface 10 of the shelf board 3.In the left-hand side of FIGS. 2 and 3, the milled grooves are providedin the bottom surface 11. The depth of the milled grooves corresponds toapproximately half the thickness of the shelf board 3. The milledgrooves extend from the end faces 4 over a length of 90 mm in thelongitudinal direction of the shelf board 3. The fastening screw 12 forthe clamping rods is located in the middle of this longitudinal extent.The fastening screw 12 passes through the through-bore 13 of the shelfboard 3 and is screwed into a threaded bore 14 of the respectiveclamping rod 5. The fastening screw 12 has been omitted from theleft-hand side of FIG. 3 for sake of clarity.

The clamping screw 6 passes through a through-bore of the clamping rod 5adjacent to the screw head of the fastening screw 6 and is screwed intoa threaded bore of the opposite clamping rod 5.

As can be seen, two shelf boards 3 which are attached side-by-side tothe same tubular jacket 7 can be arranged at the same height. The shelfboards are arranged in such a way that the clamping rods of one shelfboard 3 are positioned on top of and in contact with the clamping rods 5of the other shelf board.

To prevent a clamping device from projecting beyond the tubular jacket7, the clamping screw 6 is arranged between the end face 4 and thetubular jacket 7 of the support rod 2. The length of the free ends ofthe clamping rods 5 which are disposed on the other side of the clampingscrew 6, is equal to approximately three quarter of the diameter of thetubular jacket 7.

FIG. 4 shows a shelf board 3 supported between two support rods 2. Thesupport rods 2 are pressed against the ceiling 15 and the floor 16 of aroom. Support plates 9 are placed against the ceiling 15 and the floor16, with a ball socket disposed in the center of the support plates 9and adapted to receive a hemispheric articulated head 17. Thearticulated heads 17 are provided with a threaded bore 18 adapted toreceive a locking screw (not shown). The locking screw secures thesupport plates 9 to the articulated head 17. The support plates 9 can berotated in an arbitrary direction about an angle of approximately 10°.The upper articulated heads 17 are connected to a cylindrical insertmember 19 which is inserted into an upper end of a tubular jacket 7. Thelower articulated heads 17 are connected to a small insert pin 20 whichis inserted into the lower end of a spindle rods 8. The upper insertmember 19 and the insert pin 20 include a radial shoulder for supportingthe tubular jacket 7 and the end face of the spindle rod 8,respectively. Diametrically opposed bores may be provided to secure theinsert member 19 in the tubular jacket 7 and the insert pin 20 in thespindle rod 8, respectively. The bores pass through the elements whichare connected to each other, and receive the locking pins (not shown).

A threaded bushing 21 is inserted into the lower end of each tubularjacket 7. The threaded bushing 21 can be fixedly secured relative to thetubular jacket 7 with a press fit, with solder, with an adhesive or witha screw. However, the threaded bushing 21 needs not be secured in place,since the clamping force secures the relative position of the componentsof the support rod after the support rod is installed.

The spindle rod 8 is screwed into the threaded bushing 21. The length ofthe support rod 2 can be adjusted by rotating the threaded bushing 21relative to the spindle rod 8. A guide disk 22 is secured on the freeend of the spindle rod 8 in the tubular jacket 7 of the support rod 2.The guide disk 22 is locked with a locking screw 23 which is screwedinto the central threaded bore of the spindle rod 8. The guide disk 22which contacts the inside wall of the tubular jacket 7 essentiallywithout play, reliably supports transverse forces and torques which mayeffect the connection between the tubular jacket 7 and the spindle rod8.

A small threaded bore 24, which extends in the radial direction, isvisible in the lower section of each of the threaded bushings 21. Afterthe support rods 2 are tightened, a set screw can be inserted into thethreaded bore 24 which presses against the thread of the spindle rod 8and holds the support rod 2 in place.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shelf system comprising: a plurality of supportrods having a cylindrical cross-section; a plurality of shelf boards,wherein each shelf board comprises fastening devices for attaching theshelf board to the support rods, each fastening device located near thecenter of an end face of the shelf board and comprising a pair ofmutually parallel clamping rods projecting from the respective end faceand connected by a clamping screw; wherein the clamping rods are pulledtowards each other when the clamping screw is tightened, so as to clampone support rod between each clamping pair, wherein the clamping rodslocated on opposite end faces of the shelf boards are offset from eachother in a direction perpendicular to a major surface of the shelfboards at least by a distance corresponding to a height of the clampingrods in the perpendicular direction.
 2. The shelf system of claim 1,wherein each support rod is formed as a threaded spindle and comprises atubular jacket with an interior thread and at least one spindle rodwhich is screwed into the interior thread of the tubular jacket, with afirst a support plate arranged on a free end of the spindle rod, whereina second support plate is arranged on the end of the support rodopposite to the free end, so that the support rod can be anchoredbetween a floor and a ceiling of a room using the first and secondsupport plates.
 3. The shelf system of claim 2, wherein the interiorthread is formed by a threaded bushing inserted in one end of thetubular jacket.
 4. The shelf system of claim 3, wherein a threaded boreextends in a radial direction in said threaded bushing and is adapted toreceive a set screw for securing the spindle rod and holding the supportrod in place.
 5. The shelf system of claim 2, wherein a guide disk,which is guided inside the tubular jacket, is secured on the end of thespindle rod positioned inside the tubular jacket, said guide diskcontacting an inside wall of the tubular jacket such that there isessentially no radial movement of the guide disk.
 6. The shelf system ofclaim 2, wherein at least one of the support plates that is attached tothe ends of support rod can be pivoted via an articulated joint.
 7. Theshelf system of claim 1, wherein the clamping screw is arranged betweena respective end face of the shelf boards and the support rods, andwherein the portion of the clamping rods projecting beyond the clampingscrews has a length with is less than a diameter of the support rods. 8.The shelf system of claim 1, wherein the clamping screw passes through athrough-bore of a first clamping rod of the clamping rod pair and isscrewed into a threaded bore of the second clamping rod of the clampingrod pair.
 9. The shelf system of claim 1, wherein the clamping rods havea substantially uniform gap therebetween.
 10. A shelf system comprising:a plurality of support rods having a cylindrical cross-section; aplurality of shelf boards, wherein each shelf board comprises fasteningdevices for attaching the shelf board to the support rods, eachfastening device located near the center of an end face of the shelfboard and comprising a pair of mutually parallel clamping rodsprojecting from the respective end face and connected by a clampingscrew; wherein the clamping rods are pulled towards each other when theclamping screw is tightened, so as to clamp one support rod between eachclamping pair, wherein each clamping rod is secured to the shelf boardwith a fastening screw, and wherein a distance between an end of theclamping rod located in the plane of the shelf board and fastening screwis essentially identical to a distance between the fastening screw andthe end face of the shelf board.
 11. The shelf system of claim 10,wherein the fastening screw passes through a through-bore located in theshelf board and is screwed into a threaded bore of the clamping rod. 12.A shelf board comprising: a plurality of fastening devices for attachingthe shelf board to a support rod, each fastening device located near thecenter of an end face of the shelf board and comprising a pair ofmutually parallel clamping rods projecting from the respective end faceand connected by a clamping screw; wherein the clamping rods are pulledtowards each other when the clamping screw is tightened so as to clampone support rod between each clamping pair, wherein the clamping rodswhich are located on opposite end faces of the shelf board are offsetfrom each other in a direction perpendicular to a major surface of theshelf board by a distance corresponding to a height of the clamping rodsin the perpendicular direction.
 13. The shelf system of claim 12,wherein the clamping rod comprises an essentially planar grippingsurface facing the support rod.
 14. The shelf system of claim 12,wherein the clamping rod has an essentially rectangular cross-section.15. The shelf system of claim 12, wherein the clamping rod has anessentially square cross-section.
 16. The shelf system of claim 12,wherein the clamping rod is made of stainless steel.
 17. The shelfsystem of claim 12, wherein the clamping rod is embedded in the shelfboard.
 18. A shelf board comprising: a plurality of fastening devicesfor attaching the shelf board to a support rod, each fastening devicelocated near the center of an end face of the shelf board and comprisinga pair of mutually parallel clamping rods projecting from the respectiveend face and connected by a clamping screw; wherein the clamping rodsare pulled towards each other when the clamping screw is tightened so asto clamp one support rod between each clamping pair; wherein theclamping rod is secured to the shelf board at a location which islocated halfway between an end of the clamping rod located in the planeof the shelf board and the end face of the shelf board, wherein theclamping rod is secured to the shelf board with a fastening screw whichpasses through a hole in the shelf board into a threaded bore of theclamping rod.